After Hawke and all of his heroes perished, a woman emerged from behind a tree.

    She had long black hair, bat-like wings on her back, and a blood-red dress.

    Yes, it was Vylyss.

    She glanced at Raito, who lay motionless on the ground, then waved her hand. Instantly, a chain pierced through his head.

    Of course, he had no idea why or how he had died.

    Vylyss closed her eyes, and a gentle breeze radiated outward from her as its center.

    A moment later, she opened her eyes and said, "Master, there is no surveillance magic present. Everything is safe."

    At that moment, from the shadow of a large tree, a dark veil slowly dissipated, revealing Noan''s figure.

    He stood up and walked toward Vylyss, his gaze shifting between Hawke''s corpse and Raito''s.

    Seeing that both were dead, he nodded in satisfaction.

    Suddenly, two glowing orbs appeared above the bodies of Hawke and Raito. They immediately flew toward Noan''s hand, leaving him puzzled.

    Then, a system notification appeared in front of him.

    [Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully killed a Rank E+ Lord. You have obtained a Rank E+ Lord Crystal.]

    [Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully killed a Rank E Lord. You have obtained a Rank E Lord Crystal.]

    [Ding! The special ability of the talent ''Almighty Fusion'' activated.]

    [If you collect 500 Rank F Lord Crystals, you can evolve your Lord rank to Rank E.]

    [Note: When your Lord rank increases, ''Almighty Fusion'' will gain additional functions.]

    Noan was startled as he read the system notifications.

    He had never expected that his Lord rank could also be upgraded through the talent of Almighty Fusion.

    Rubbing his chin, he thought, " So that means ''Almighty Fusion'' doesn''t allow me to fuse monsters, but also lets me increase my Lord rank.

    He took a deep breath, feeling that this talent was simply too terrifying.

    And, of course, once again, Noan felt reassured that his decision to keep the secret of his SSS-rank talent was right.

    Setting aside the fact that it could elevate his Lord rank, the mere ability to evolve heroes and monsters made countless people crave it.

    If he had enough resources, even a Rank F monster could be upgraded to Rank SS.

    A talent that could shatter all limits and rules like this simply should not exist.

    Noan understood the saying, "An innocent man carries guilt for possessing a treasured gem."

    In this world, if you were stronger than others, they would grow jealous and seek to drag you down into the abyss simply because they couldn''t stand the thought of someone else standing above them.

    Noan looked at the two glowing orbs in his hands, unsure where to store them.

    "Master, what are you looking at?"

    She gently set Noan down, and he stepped forward.

    But after only a few steps, he was abruptly stopped by an invisible wall.

    Indeed, this wall was truly invisible. If he hadn''t collided with it, he wouldn''t have realized its existence.

    Noan extended his hand and tapped against it, yet no sound was produced. He frowned.

    It felt as if the wall absorbed all the force of his impact.

    "How far does it extend?" Noan asked, his brow furrowed.

    Vylyss tilted her head, placing a delicate finger on her lips, before replying softly, "This place is quite large, but I believe the wall completely encloses the entire area."

    "There aren''t any gaps?"

    "Well..." Vylyss sighed and said, "There are truly no openings. Even after Urlgan dug more than ten meters deep, he couldn''t find its end."

    "I also tried flying up as high as possible, but the limit is 1,000 meters above ground—I couldn''t go any higher."

    Hearing this, Noan nodded, realizing this place was a massive cage.

    The question now was—how could he escape?

    Would everyone be transported back to the city after thirty days? No, he doubted it would be that simple.

    More likely, something even more terrifying would happen after those thirty days. By then, he would need to be fully prepared to defend himself.

    Returning to the present, Noan looked at Vylyss and asked, "What about the canyon? Can you get out that way?"

    Vylyss shook her head. "Impossible. This invisible wall also blocks the entrance to the canyon."

    Noan frowned, feeling a bit frustrated. Did he have to explore further down the other two paths?

    "Alright, have everyone search the area. If anything unusual happens, report it to me first. Don''t act recklessly," Noan instructed.

    "Most importantly, you need to keep yourself safe, understand? If you encounter danger, escape immediately—don''t take unnecessary risks."

    Hearing this, Vylyss felt a warm sensation in her heart. She gazed at Noan''s face, a playful glint flashing in her eyes as she decided to tease him a little.

    "Master, since there''s no one around and no zombies in sight, shouldn''t we take a moment to enjoy the scenery?"

    Noan: "..."

    I''m being serious here, and all she''s thinking about is that?!

    He sighed and shook his head. "No, I—ack!"

    Before he could finish speaking, Vylyss had already pinned him to the ground, her soft hands caressing his face.

    A seductive fragrance filled his nose, clouding his thoughts and making it hard to stay rational.

    Vylyss smiled wickedly, like a hungry wolf gazing at a clueless little rabbit.

    "Master, you don''t have the right to refuse."

    Noan: "..."